Dugout
- Thread starter Familytradition
- Start date
CTM1
Active Member
I finally get to bring my 2015 buck home after nearly 2 years and 2 taxidermists.
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Two taxidermists, must be a story behind that one, but in any event that is a fine deer with amazing tine length..
Familytradition
Active Member
The first one that we have used for many years started having health issues and basically devolved a writers block of sorts. People are busting down his door at this point and threatening him. I just set up a time to get my cape and rack and took somewhere else, but I had the ability to eat the money. I see no reason to kick a man while he is down anyway. I hope he gets his life together and mounts some kids deer for free at some point. He is very talented; shame that he had fallen on hard times.
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swat1018
Well-Known Member
I had 2 deer mounted by a guy in Tipton County. He did a horrible job for me. I wonder if it was the same guy, besides the poor quality I wondered if I would ever get them back.
Familytradition
Active Member
This guy was in Hamilton County and is actually great at it, but he is just not getting things done right now. The one in Tipton did my cousin's buck this year; it turned out okay.
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Fish
Well-Known Member
Thats a dandy buck. Everything looks awesome. Thanks for sharing your habitat pics and thoughts around them.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
That is a real dandy of a buck. Pics of the place look great as well. Going to be sort of interesting this year.....with the gun opener on the 18th like it is. Going to be strange having Thanksgiving in the first week of gun instead of the second. Should provide some interesting hunting for an archery hunter as well.
Familytradition
Active Member
The back one in this picture is one of the ones that I would like to add to the wall this year. Probably only score 120, but I believe him to be a 6 year old.
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Familytradition
Active Member
j-bird
Well-Known Member
First pic looks like you got a couple that could be destined to end up in picture #2.......maybe one for each of those in pic#3 working on "the master plan"! I used to take a large printed satellite picture and put a piece of lexan over it and draw on it with a grease pencil and my boy would ask questions and I could easily explain visually certain things.
Familytradition
Active Member
I neighbor is letting hunt and food-plot his land. We wasted no time getting wheat, radishes, and turnips in an old hay field. Our largest plot to date.
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Familytradition
Active Member
Fall plots looking good. Dad reports that they are hammering the corn/power plant plot.
Hunting acorns, apples, and whatever else I can find in local parks. I couldn't resist picking up a few buckeyes this morning. Trying focus on the red oak family this year, but I find very hard to walk past a white oak family tree without giving the ground a good gander. I'm yet to happen upon a chestnut find.
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farmhunter
Well-Known Member
j-bird
Well-Known Member
My red oaks are not producing this year, but I have some whites, burrs with some and my chinkapin always do. if you are looking for something in particular look into the seed swap thread if you haven't already. Those plots look like you got some decent dirt to work with. Get some rain, and watch the green stuff grow!
Familytradition
Active Member
One vegetable drawer full of acorns, apple seed, and buckeyes. The rain finally knocked a few off of my old reliable chinquapin oak. I think this will be lightest crop in 5 years off of this tree.
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Familytradition
Active Member
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Well you sure are doing something right!!! What sort of time frame did it take to get those deer? Looks like you might have a couple generations of deer hunters there as well....a bet the little guy was pretty pleased to be a part of the photo shoot!!!!
I have to ask.....why are you planting buckeye? Not trying to be critical.....I just have not seen any significant value to them in any way, shape or form. The ONLY think I know they are good for is carving on with a pocket knife....whittling.
I have to ask.....why are you planting buckeye? Not trying to be critical.....I just have not seen any significant value to them in any way, shape or form. The ONLY think I know they are good for is carving on with a pocket knife....whittling.
Familytradition
Active Member
Our first deer over 120 was killed in 1991 or so. I was in first grade. That deer is not pictured. These are my grandpa's 4 biggest, my dad's biggest, and my biggest. We took these pictures because Renfro wants to use them for advertising at the Boat, Sport, and travel show and to just have. I'm sure that there are others with 3 generations in the state book, but none that IDHA is aware of. The 3 personal bests were killed in 1996, 2012, 2015; I think. Since 1991 we average a >120 buck about every other year; this includes a few family and friends that we took along. We have hunted at least 2 bucks over 200; one broke off 15-20 inches and other was recovered by the neighbor's dog 2 weeks after Grandpa shot it. We weren't serious buck hunters in 1991 and I was 6 years old. The real push for QDMA has only been since 2000 or so. We've learned to simply let the little ones walk and we would rather eat a doe. Sometimes bucks passed because they were young and sometimes they were ugly. I made a living as a kid hunting the big "ugly" ones that my dad and grandpa wouldn't shoot. We want to get all the racks together for a barn shot sometime, but we haven't been able to make that happen. I think the best is yet to come because we will eat our tag now before we shoot a young buck. Our goal is for each of us to fill our buck tag every year with >120. I really would like 150 plus for myself and for someone to get a Booner. No easy task. This year goal remains to get Grandpa a buck and my best friend his first deer. We have several youngsters to focus on soon and we will not hold them to any standard. If they want to shoot a legal deer in front them; they will be allowed to do so. As much as we like big bucks; we like hunting together more.
I have no buckeyes on the farm, I didn't figure 4 or 5 would hurt anything for biodiversity. I agree with it not being very desirable, but it won't hurt to have a few. I would add a few black locusts and hedge apple if my dad wouldn't flip out with the first thorn in the tire.
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j-bird
Well-Known Member
well that's pretty cool! you in first grade in 1991...I remember 1991 all too well. I graduated High school in 1992!!! Those are some dang nice deer. We try to limit buck harvests to 3 year olds or more which will be in the 120 or better range here. My youngest is after her first deer and she can shoot any legal deer as well. That is really, really cool you have that tradition going on with deer hunters in your family. My dad and grandfather where mostly small game hunters and fisherman. I had to ask about the buckeye simply because I know of nobody that plants them intentionally. I hinge most of mine.....they are good for that at least!
Familytradition
Active Member
Another comment I have for people is keep every hunting tradition alive that you can; you never know which one will click for a kid. My dad and grandfather didn't grow up deer hunting. They small game hunted and trapped; kept birddogs, coon hounds, and beagles. We traditionally hunted pheasants on Thanksgiving. Deer were not plentiful in central Indiana until the late 80's or early 90's. My grandfather has seen fur prices become a joke, quail and pheasant disappear, and rabbits become a suburban animal because of high coyote numbers. Never assume game will be plentiful.
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